1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to the field of dispensers for disc shaped objects such as coins, tokens, and the like. In particular the application relates to a device for receiving the disc shaped objects from a hopper, carrying them in a predetermined path, and dispensing the disc shaped objects, where certain elements are adjustable to provide more universal application.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Prior art devices of the type involved in this application are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,074,434 and 5,232,398, which issued to an inventor common to this application. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,434 patent in particular describes a dispensing device that utilizes a disc mounted for rotation about an axis. The disc is positioned at the exit of a bin or hopper in which is collected a supply of the disc shaped objects. The rotatable disc is constructed with a series of openings or cutouts having the dimensions of the objects to be dispensed.
In general the dispensing device of this application may be arranged immediately below the exit of the coin bin so that coins exiting the bin will fall into the cutouts of the rotatable disc or rotor, where they are partially supported by a ring located on the rotor beneath the cutouts. The ring supports the coins on the rotor immediately below the rotor cutouts. Rotation of the rotor causes the coins to move in an annular path towards an exit of the dispenser. As the coins move they encounter guide elements that urge the coins off of the ring, and radially outward towards the exit of the dispenser mechanism.
In its most common application, the device of this application is used with coins, tokens, and other similar objects having dimensions, i.e. thickness and diameter, that vary from item to item, for example, by denomination in the case of coins. Alterations must therefore be made to each dispensing mechanism to accommodate the differing sizes. Considering the coin dispensing application, coins or tokens in common use would have a range of 0.6 to 1.2 inches in diameter and 0.05 to 0.10 inches in thickness. Attempts have been made to achieve a universal usability within these ranges, but with only limited useful results. Generally the more universal the device, the more performance and reliability are sacrificed.
With the introduction of the prior art rotor/hopper mechanism, as described in the above reference patents, a reliable and robust dispenser was achieved, but at the expense of standardization. In these designs the rotor configuration, guide elements, and associated ejection mechanisms must be constructed to closely match the dimensions of the coin, etc. being dispensed.
In particular these mechanisms, as shown in FIG. 1, are constructed having rotors that are suitable for receiving a specific size coin and guide elements that are fixed in positions matched to the size of the coin for which it is to be used. This causes a significant inconvenience and expense in both manufacture and assembly of the devices.